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Nihon Daihyakkasho, ''Mokoshi''
accessed on November 27, 2009 (in Japanese) Its purpose was in fact to hide the thick sustaining pillars of the structure, making it look lighter and simpler. It has been used extensively by the
File:Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg, Hōryū-ji's ''kon-dō''
File:Yakushiji Nara11s5bs4200.jpg, Yakushi-ji's three-storied east pagoda
File:Myoshinji-M9719.jpg, Myōshin-ji's ''butsuden''
File:Toudaiji Daibituden.jpg,
In Japanese architecture
has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors (''fusuma'') and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space to ...
, literally "skirt storey" or "cuff storey", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the ''mokoshi'' gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are. It is usually a ''ken
Ken or KEN may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer.
* ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film.
* ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine.
* Ken Masters, a main character in ...
'' deep and is most commonly seen in Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
s and pagodas
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
(see for example the article ''tahōtō
A is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories (two). (The second story has a balustrade and seems habitable, but ...
''). The ''mokoshi'' normally covers a ''hisashi
Hisashi is a masculine Japanese given name. Its meaning differs depending on the kanji used to write it.
Kanji
Single kanji used to write the name Hisashi include:
*: "long time"
*: "eternal"
*: "still"
*: "standard"
*: "complete"
*: "long"
*: "li ...
'', a walled aisle surrounding a building on one or more sides, but can be attached directly to the core of the structure (the '' moya''), in which case there is no ''hisashi''. The roofing material for the ''mokoshi'' can be the same or different (see for example's Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery.
The temple wa ...
's ''kon-dō'') as in the main roof.
Origin and purpose
The name derives from the fact that it surrounds and hides the main building like the of a pair of pants.Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...
'Nihon Daihyakkasho, ''Mokoshi''
accessed on November 27, 2009 (in Japanese) Its purpose was in fact to hide the thick sustaining pillars of the structure, making it look lighter and simpler. It has been used extensively by the
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
sects in various structures of its temple complexes.
Another name for a ''mokoshi'' is , hence the name given to the style of a building featuring it.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version This name started being used during the Middle Ages, and stems from the idea that its presence offered protection from snow.
Significant examples
The three storied eastpagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
of Yakushi-ji
is one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan, and was once one of the Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples of Nanto, located in Nara, Nara, Nara. The temple is the headquarters of the Hossō school of Japanese Buddh ...
(a National Treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...
, see gallery) seems to have six stories because of the presence of a ''mokoshi'' between each story.
The first of the '' kon-dō's'' (main hall, National Treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...
, see gallery) two stories at Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery.
The temple wa ...
has a ''mokoshi'', which was added in the Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...
with extra posts. These were needed to hold up the original first roof, which extended more than four meters past the building. Hōryū-ji's is the oldest extant example of ''mokoshi''.
The ''butsuden
Main hall is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...
'' (main hall) of a Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
temple usually has a ''mokoshi'', and therefore looks like a two-story building (see photo above and gallery), although in fact it is not.
Gallery
The following structures all have a ''mokoshi''.Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year ...
's ''Daibutsuden''
See also
*List of roof shapes
Roof shapes include flat (or shed), gabled, hipped, arched, domed, and a wide variety of other configurations detailed below.
Roof angles are an integral component of roof shape, and vary from almost flat to steeply pitched.
Roof shapes diffe ...
Notes